The village of Lindsey will improve its wastewater treatment plant with help from an Ohio EPA loan to cover the cost of designing the project.

The project will design upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant’s aeration system to ensure effective sewage treatment into the future and improve water quality in Muddy Creek.

Created in 1989, the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) has provided below-market interest rate loans for communities to improve sewer systems. The $30,360 loan is for five years. The village will save an estimated $1,500 when compared to a conventional loan.

In addition to sewer system improvements, WPCLF loans have been provided for agricultural best management practices, home sewage system improvements, landfill closures and water quality-based storm water projects. The WPCLF provides technical assistance to public wastewater systems in a variety of areas from planning, design and construction of improvements to enhancing the systems’ technical, managerial and financial capacity. WPCLF loans also make possible the restoration and protection of some of Ohio’s highest quality water bodies through the Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP).

Ohio EPA’s revolving loan funds are partially supported by federal grants designed to last indefinitely through repayment of loans and investments in bonds. The loan program is managed by Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance, with help from the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). Ohio EPA is responsible for program development and implementation, individual project coordination and environmental and other technical reviews or approvals of projects seeking funds. OWDA provides financial management of the fund.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.